


Of Sickness and Partnership

by Azeran



Series: AU-ThorxJotun!Loki [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Jötunn Loki, M/M, Protective Thor, Thor Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-11-23
Packaged: 2018-02-26 17:26:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2660336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azeran/pseuds/Azeran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Please. Beloved. Will you give me this? If not for your own sake, then mine. I cannot bear the thought of you in pain. If I can ease yours in even the smallest degree, then that would offer me some small peace of mind."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Sickness and Partnership

"WHERE IS MY CONSORT?!" Rain and thunder cascaded into the healing hall as Thor burst in through the double doors, carrying the weight of a storm in every booming step he took. The healers all seemed to scatter the moment he approached, leaving the ward bare of any sort of presence. It didn't matter. He could sense Loki. Be it some strange sorcery, or a matter of their bond, Thor knew not. But he did know exactly where the Jotun was hidden, and he all but flew towards the curtained archway across the room, shoving back the heavy velvet to reveal the vast bathing chamber behind it. And there was Loki, his raven hair flowing across the water's surface as he sat submerged in the pool up to his chin. 

"...Thor." Looking at him with eyes that were barely half mast, Loki sighed. "They summoned you, didn't they?" 

The softness of his voice shattered what little restraint Thor had been invoking to keep himself from lurching forward. Therefore he did just that, banishing his armor without a single thought before he waded out into the water and gathered Loki into his arms, using a gentle touch to tilt his head backwards. If his voice had not given away his predicament, then the sluggish quality with which his lashes fluttered certainly did. "Of course they did. You collapsed, Loki. That is not a matter to be kept silent!"

A grimace tightened those thin lips, bleached a paler azure that was far too unlike their normal hue. "Must you be so dramatic? It was but one moment of weakness. Nothing more. There was no reason for the healers to summon you here. Another hour or so and I should be well enough to move about, return to my day." 

"Aye. An hour you will have. And once it's done, you will return to our chambers and rest until I see fit to release you again." Thor ignored the protests falling from those lips and frowned at him, silencing Loki with a look. Few could curb that silvered tongue, yet it seemed this was one moment where he was wise enough to keep quiet. "When the healers told me of your collapse, I feared the worst. Loki, tell me the truth. Are you ill? Is this the result of some sickness, or affliction?" 

"Of course not, you oaf." Loki squirmed in his arms, seeking freedom. Thor wasn't yet ready to grant it to him. 

"Then what? Whatever it is, we shall fix it. The healers have studied your physiology. It is not so much a mystery to us now." Beseeching his honesty, the thunderer cupped his cheek and laid a kiss upon his brow. It was then that he noticed something unusual about Loki. He was far too warm, considering his icy heritage. Flesh that was normally cool to the touch was now tepid, much like the water surrounding them... 

By the Norns, why had he not realized it sooner? "The heat..it was the heat, wasn't it?" Thor's cheeks blossomed with shame, a vivid, horrid pink. He carried Loki to the other end of the pool and set him down on the marble bench that jutted from its wall, tenderly pushing a strand of hair behind his ear. "Forgive me. I should have been more attentive to your needs." 

"I can scarcely imagine how. You take such wonderful care of me already." There might have been a touch of admonishment to Loki's voice, but it faded as exhausted crimson irises fixated upon him. "Thor, there's nothing you could have done. You don't control the sun, unless you've been hiding more of your abilities from me." Loki made his last few words a question, as well as a tease. Sadly it went over poorly with Thor, whose frown darkened reproachfully, and he heaved a breathy sigh. "It was merely a jest. Why must you be so serious?"

"Your health is no laughing matter, Loki. Nor will I treat it as such," Thor grunted. He checked the Jotun's temperature with the back of his hand, finding it tepid still, and growing steadily more so as the water warmed. "You need a fresh bath drawn. I'll have the healers take care of it, after I see to your comfort." 

Loki lolled his head back against the pool's edge, swishing his fingers through the water. "You worry senselessly. I can handle the bath myself." Making his point, a shimmer of ice webbed across the water's surface and froze it over with a thin layer. Penetrable, were one to try pushing through it. It was solid enough though for Thor to lay his hand on it and apply a slight amount of pressure, earning only a few spider silk cracks. "There. See? Now the water will cool. As will your anxiety, I hope." 

He'd collapsed less than an hour ago, yet Loki acted as if it were nothing serious. Thor bristled with irritation and pushed the trickster's hand down, forcing the growing sheen of ice to slow to a crawl, then stop completely. "My anxiety will settle when I know your health is not at risk! You senselessly waste your powers on tasks you needn't do alone! It's a wonder you allow me to do anything at all! Why must you be so stubborn? Is this mistrust? Or is your pride so damn prized that you are incapable of allowing another to give you aid?" He regretted snapping at Loki almost instantly. Those regal features had reflexively tightened into a sullen mask, and though Thor couldn't see his eyes, hidden as they were behind feathered lashes, he knew they would burn with a fiery anger Loki reserved solely for him alone. Damn. "Loki..."

"Stop." 

The harshness of his voice stopped Thor cold. He dropped the hand he'd been about to place on the prince's nape and stood there, uncomfortable in his soaked clothing, yet unwilling to move anywhere. So he tried again to speak, explain himself proper. "Loki. My temper got the best of me. It was not my intention to yell at you." 

"Was it not? And yet, that's precisely what you did." Loki's eyes flickered open, and the hot crimson sent a shiver racing down Thor's spine. He was never afraid of his consort. Such an idea was ludicrous. But he did respect him, and his volatile wrath. "This is exactly why I didn't want you summoned. Your anger clouds your judgment! This has naught to do with pride, you bullheaded fool. Need I remind you, I'm hardly some fragile maiden! I am completely capable of taking care of myself!"

"You think I don't realize this? I have championed for your abilities ever since they were made clear! I understand better than any how powerful you are! Your seidr is formidable, and your strength, unparalleled! Never will I doubt your strength. But you are the true fool here, if you'll refuse me my right to assist you when it is called for!" He was doing it again. Thor forced himself to soften his voice and not overreact, as he was so prone to doing, compassion bleeding through each word to nuzzle Loki's skin. It took an agonizing few moments of tense silence before he was calm enough to speak again though, and he did his best to control the tremble that affected each syllable. "Loki...my love. Listen to me. I know you can take care of yourself. You've proved that, time and time again. But there is no reason you should go at this alone." He took a slender hand in his own and lifted it from the icy water, placing it palm down against his chest. "If I may only ever ask one boon of you, let it be this. Allow me to be the one on whom you may rely for help." Thor brought the limb to his cheek and kissed Loki's palm. "Please. Beloved. Will you give me this? If not for your own sake, then mine. I cannot bear the thought of you in pain. If I can ease yours in even the smallest degree, then that would offer me some small peace of mind." 

A grueling silence passed between them, and he almost thought he'd said the completely wrong thing. Then Loki surprised him, reluctantly inclining his head. "Very well. But I warn you, if ever you raise your voice to me again-"

"I cannot promise it to be an impossibility. You do try my temper," Thor admitted, brushing his lips over cooled fingertips. "I won't pretend this an easy task. This will take effort from us both. We shall have to be patient with one another. Neither of us are perfect." The newly cooled water was beginning to numb his skin, but he pushed the sensations out of mind and angled his consort's head back for a kiss to his whorled temple. "Perhaps first, this. There should be no secrets between us. If your health falters again, I will wish to know of it from your own lips." 

"And just how do you expect me to speak of my ailments if I am collapsed upon the ground?" The Jotun frowned and rolled his eyes. "I'm talented, Thor, but even that is beyond my ability. Nevertheless, I'll strive to keep you better informed from now on." He allowed Thor to gather him up in his arms and hold him close, his dark hair draping one of those muscled forearms. Thor held him as closely as he thought wise at the moment, listening to Loki's breath quicken a few degrees. "......If we're being honest, then you should know the collapse caught me by surprise as well. I had been feeling fatigued as of late, but I merely thought it to be simple exhaustion. Your climate is no friend to me, Thor." 

The vivid streak of nervousness painted across the proclamation lent it its honesty. Loki was being truthful with him, as much as it might sting his pride. "We will find some way for you to safely endure it. I promise. You shouldn't have to waste your magic on what should be a triviality." The god smiled wistfully, stroking his forefinger over the lines on Loki's right cheek. "Had I been more attentive to your needs from the beginning, perhaps we might have already discovered one." 

"Perhaps," Loki agreed, leaning more into the enclosure of his arms. "Then again, there really is no way to know for certain. All we can do now is focus on the future, and its many possibilities."

"Aye. The future." The one they would share. Thor wrapped his arms around the prince's waist and held him snugly, radiating heat where the other's flesh now felt pleasantly cool. As it should be. He wanted to berate himself for not realizing what Loki's predicament entailed, but the concept was foreign to him. As was Loki. He was a stranger in an even stranger realm, one that was only just hospitable for him. Thor wanted him to be happy here, completely at ease. Loki shouldn't have to fear something as unremarkable as a touch of heat. 

Something had to be done. And whatever it was, he knew now that they would do it together, as true partners.


End file.
